September 2012
1 post
5 tags
Balancing a Professional Voice with a Fun Web...
This article was originally published on blogtrepreneur.com
Torrenegra Labs, and the people within the company, really like showing off some personality on our website. A difficult situation for young companies, however, can be trying to decide how to balance the enthusiastic, fun portrayal of their teams on their sites without coming across as so young that they can’t be taken seriously. It can...
August 2012
1 post
5 tags
Is it time for a new union of voice artists?
The voiceover industry has dramatically changed during the previous decade. The unions, guilds, and associations that try to help voice talents have failed to keep with the changes, not just in new media, but also in their knowledge and acceptance of new markets and technologies. Is it time for a new union of voice artists?
First, some background:
Definition of guild: An association of people...
July 2012
4 posts
4 tags
What Your Company’s Voice Means For Business
This article was originally published on Business 2 Community.
A company voice is more than just a spokesperson talking during a commercial; it’s what people hear when your company name crosses their mind. A singular voice for a company is vital to branding and brand recognition. A singular company voice lends a feeling of stability and consistency to your company. In turn, this encourages your...
4 tags
We're driving 10,000 miles on a barely-road-worthy...
As some of you may already know, I’m leaving soon for Mongolia to participate in the Mongol Rally 2012, a 10,000 mile charity rally form London, UK to Ulan Bataar, Mongolia.
Now is the time to help. This is the deal: We’re driving 10,000 miles on a barely-road-worthy car to give some of the poorest children of Bogota the chance to become change-generating leaders in their...
3 tags
How Crowdsourcing Saves Time and Money
This article was originally published on Killer Startups.
Gone are the days of outsourcing. We’ve moved on to the era of crowdsourcing. Crowdsourcing might be just the thing your business needs to save precious time and money. If your business requires a lot of previous knowledge about how your organization works, then crowdsourcing may not be for you. If, however, your business requires...
2 tags
“Well, it’s all gone, but we had a… good time spending it!”
– Thomas Edison referring to one of his failed multi-year endeavors.
June 2012
2 posts
6 tags
I am always surprised with the level of...
Innovation is no longer "1% inspiration and 99%...
May 2012
3 posts
3 tags
Our "new" startup: VoiceBunny
Maybe you already knew about VoiceBunny, but most of my friends and business contacts did not. Because of that, I sent them this email message today (via . If you’re launching a business, I strongly recommend you do the same with all of your Facebook and LinkedIn contacts. They will help you spread the word! Here it is:
Hello friends and colleagues! I want to tell you about our new, awesome...
5 tags
Learning from a failed Endeavor
If you follow my tweets, you may know that I was applying to become an Endeavor Entrepreneur. Endeavor Global is an organization that helps entrepreneurs unleash their potential by providing a network of seasoned business leaders. Endeavor Entrepreneurs get mentoring from members of the world’s top companies, educational and networking opportunities, and hands-on assistance with the most...
4 tags
NYC offering a free, 3 day event to woo LatAm...
Patricia Bayley, from the New York City Economic Development Corporation, just told me about a great program called “LatAm to NYC”. The program is hosting delegations of Internet entrepreneurs interested on expanding to and even moving their business to NYC. It is a multiday program that includes networking events, visits to tech companies, meetups, workshops, and panels about law,...
April 2012
1 post
5 tags
Startup Visa: American by Choice, Bootstrapper by...
This article was original published by Wired.
My first real “angel” investor was Tania. She didn’t invest money, though. She invested something far more valuable: She married me so that I could stay in the United States and continue growing my startup. Fast forward to the present, and my company now has over 50 team members, about half of whom are based in the U.S.
I’m Colombian by birth. I’m...
January 2011
2 posts
When children beg for money on the streets →
When traveling to low-income countries, you are likely to come across children begging for money on the streets. Although you may feel guilty for not giving them something immediately, you…
Video: Make your clients happier by telling them... →
In this 3-minute video, Dan Ariely, author of Predictably Irrational, tell us how some of your clients may penalize you for getting better at your profession. The reason? Their perception of…
December 2010
2 posts
4 tags
When AJAX sucks and good ol' web 1.0 performs...
AJAX is good, but in many instances it sucks. Case and point: the listings of the Merrcury Engine (for example: http://nacho.letmego.com/). We wanted visitors to be able to send a message to the hosts without having to leave the listing. We did this via modal windows that use AJAX. Sounds good in theory, but terrible in practice. Here are the challenges we came across:
Modals don’t work...
I'm starting an experimental log of my work
Today I will start an experimental log of my work. I will be posting short updates about the challenges that we come across as we develop our marketplaces.
By the way, the marketplaces I’m in charge of include voice123.com, letmego.com, and localo.com, among others. Many of them are powered by the Merrcury Engine.
October 2010
4 posts
Pssst: Here’s the contact info of airlines execs... →
Christopher Elliott, a consumer advocate for National Geographic Traveler and The Washington Post maintains OnYourSi.de. The site is a wiki and blog where you can find and share the phone…
When travelling, should I drink tap or bottled... →
Many of us have decided to stop drinking bottled water for sustainability reasons. This is easy to accomplish at home, but what are the options when travelling? Here are a few tips to…
Starting working relationships with an end date in... →
When I started LetMeGo back in 2008, I decided that I would simultaneously conduct an experiment. For this new venture, I would hire new team members in a relatively unique way: by…
My double bed is not your cama doble →
Did you notice that the standard size of beds varies significantly from country to country? The differences are surprising! Check out this Wikipedia article for some information overload on the…
September 2010
1 post
Our web designer is also a music designer →
We are proud of our geekiness at LetMeGo, but we also possess other passions. Several members of our team are musicians. “Maestro”, our web designer, is one of them. This video, “Eres”, is one of…
August 2010
3 posts
Room pictures with different types of lenses →
Needless to say, the pictures in your listing are the most important tool for getting more bookings. The angle of the lens you use will affect the perception that travellers get of your place. Here…
Narrative transforms the insignificant into the... →
Dan Ariely, one of my favorite authors, writes a short but interesting article about the Significant Objects Project, “an experiment […] to determine whether you could take an object worth…
Bogotá, Colombia, wasn’t instituted August 6 (today), 1538. Bogotá was already there. Conquistador Jimenez de Quesada simply added some Spanish words to its name and ordered the Chibchas to biuld a church or else. That is not something I enjoy celebrating. From Wikipedia:
Bogotá was originally called “Bacatá” (which means “planted fields”) by the Muiscas. It was the...
July 2010
1 post
Has the Internet favored your business? →
Last week, The Economist published an article called “The click and the dead” that concludes that ecommerce favors large companies. While that may be true in some instances, we think that…
